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Coaipilments of 

General 3oMi C. Smlit) 



personal 
Recollections 
of General 
lilpsses 
S* Grant 



Personal Recollections of 



General Ulysses S. Grant 



BEFORE 



U. S. Grant Post, No. 28, 
G. A. R. 

Department of Illinois, Grand Army of the Republic, U. S. A- 



February 11, 1904. 



By Commander Comrade GeneraJ John C- Smith. 

Ejt. -Lieut. Govemoi, Etc. 



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OUR OLD COMMANDER 



aaanAMMOD ajo huo 



ADDRESS. 



Comrades of Uh/sscs S. dnint I'nst, .\n. js, I.mlivn and Friends 

of the Grand Armi/ of tin h'l pidilir: 

In acklrcssiiio; you on tlio suhjoct of my personal recollec- 
tions of the firoat soidit^r whose honored name this Post bears, 
or. in recountin}; his achievements, he they of the hnttlc- 
field or in diplomacy, is nnich like whisperitij: to my wife the 
tale of the love of our youth. It is an old. old st(»ry. hut ever 
pleasing; and ev(M' new. 

This loved Commander, whose memory we revere and under 
whom we all foufjht in that «i;reat war for the I'nion. has passed 
lo the better land. His name is engraved amonji the greatest 
niililary chieftains upon the roll of famt\ ami future ages 
will \cl accord him tin- >anic position in statestm»nshi|>. 
In my Ininililr jud<rm(Mit. riy.s.srs S. (Irant was the greatj'st 
soldici' the .\n^lo-Sa\on nice has yet produced— ever victori- 
ous, ncxcr defeated. 

Ill our estimate of military c<»mmanders. it is essential 
that we take into consideratifUi the intelligence of the soldier. 
the iiumhcr of men conmiamh'd, wea|>ons use<l. area of fieUl 
of operation, and. above all. the skill, strategy, endunince 
and bravery of the o|)posing forces. 

Two million or more men were enlisted for thn'e years in 
the War n\ IsCd (i."). and the rank and file of no army in the 
hisiorv nf ilir world w.is ever compo.sed of men of the high 
intelli^MMicc which characterized those eoiu|v»siiig the armies 
of the rnion, or were ev<T so well armed. 

Measured by tin* intellect of the men art»l the anus they 
bore, the soldiers of the I'e.leral armies were the e<|»ial of any 

a 



ten inilliou tliat could have Ikhmi mustered one century ago, 
while for brav(M-v and endurance, the opposing Confederate 
forces have never been surpassed. 

The Union troops in the War of tiie Rebellion were organ- 
ized into twenty-five infantry corps, to which were attached 
the artillery and cavalry commands, and they into three 
principal and six lesser armies. 

Our great Captain, while in person with the larger of 
these armies, known as the Army of the Potomac, directed 
the movements of all the armies, covering in their operation 
an empire in area of more than two thousand miles from East 
to West and one thousand from North to South. 

To such a command came General Grant, fresh from the 
capture of Vicksburg and his splendid victories of Lookout 
Mountain, Chattanooga and Mission Kidge. 

For celerity of movement he was unsurpassed, as witness 
his campaign to the rear of \'icksburg; while for tenacity of 
purpose his three days' fighting in the Wilderness is unparal- 
leled. No commander ever captured more prisoners or de- 
stroyed more armies than did General Grant in his two years 
from Vicksburg to Appomattox, the crowning victory of his 
splendid career. 

But of my jxTsoiial relations with (ieneral Grant, and the 
opportunities to know whereof I si)eak, it is oidy necessary to 
say that of the members of his staff who served throughout 
the war with him, Gens. John A. Rawlins, William R. Rowley 
and Ely S. Parker were my personal friends, and the acquaint- 
ance began with Capt. Ulysses S. Grant in 1860 was contiiuied 
and grew until the General and ex-President was called from 
earth. 

On becoming a resident of Galena in 1854. my business 
and social relations made me acquainted with Jesse R. Grant 
and Simpson S. Grant, the father and brother of Capt. Ulysses 
S. Grant, then in the old army. A younger brother, Orville 
L., came to Galena a few years later, and I soon became 
intimate with him. 

From the father, whom we affectionately called ''Uncle" 

4 



Jesse, and the two brothers, I came to know Captain Grant 
before he removed to Galena, which was in the early spring 
of 1860. 

At that time "Uncle" Jesse and his two sons were engaged 
in the harness and leather furnishing business, under the firm 
name of Jesse R. Grant & Sons. 

The Captain, who had been living in and near St. Louis 
since his resignation from the army in 1854, was asked by 
his father to come to Galena and take an interest in the store, 
the father intending to retire and give place to his son. The 
political excitement of the time, however, the unsettled con- 
dition of business, and the ill health of Simpson delayed the 
transfer, and the Captain entered upon duty as a clerk in their 
well-known store. During the summer and fall Captain Grant 
was employed in the sale of goods and Ixiying of hides, which 
were shipped to Covington, Kentucky, where the father 
resided, and thence to the tanneries, and when tanned, returned 
to Galena. During the winter of 1860-61 the i)urchase and 
shipment of cattle and hogs were added to the business of 
the house, in all of which the Captain took an active part. 

From the time Captain Grant came to live in Galena until 
the firing of the first gun of the Rebellion, he was known to 
but few, and they very largely the men who did business with 
the house of Jesse R. Grant & Sons, or were on terms of friend- 
ship with the members of the firm. 

No one in that city bore a better character for upright- 
ness and fair dealing in trade than Captain Grant, and no man 
was better known for sobriety, industry and general intelli- 
gence than he of whom I now speak. 

All the stories attributing idleness, shiftlessness, or use of 
intoxicants to Captain Grant while a resident of Galena are 
infamous and malicious lies, and would not be referred to here 
but for the recent article in a city newspaper retailing those 
old and baseless slanders. 

Educated at West Point, and with an observing mind 
broadened by experience in the Mexican War. in whicii no one 
of equal rank won more honor, Captain Grant came to Galena. 

5 



Such was the Captain's reputation for general knowledge and 
good judgment that in the debates of a local club and the 
political discussions of 1860, vexed questions were referred 
to him, and his opinion or decision was accepted. 

In this way our future Ceneral became, accjuainted with 
John A. Rawlins, a young and rising lawyer, who was the 
Douglas Elector for that District, and who afterwards became 
his Chief of Staff, a Major-(Jeneral and Secretary of War of the 
United States. 

William R. Rowley, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Jo Daviess 
County, later a Brigadier-Cjeneral and Provost Marshal on the 
General's staff. 

Ely S. Parker, Superintendent of the construction of the 
Galena Post Office and [Marine Hospital buildings and the I'ost 
Office and Custom House buildings at Dubuque, Iowa, a full- 
blooded Indian of the Seneca tribe, and Chief of the Six Nations 
of Northern New York, afterwards a Brigadier-General and 
Military Secretary of the Old Commander, and the Commis- 
sioner of Indian Affairs. 

General Parker's Indian name was Do-ne-ho-ga-wa, which 
signifies "The Keeper of the West Gate." He was the grand 
nephew of Red Jacket, the famous Indian Chief and Orator of 
the Six Nations of Northern New York, and the friend of Gen- 
eral Washington. My relations were very close with General 
Parker, having been his Assistant in the construction of the 
U. S. Custom House and Post Office at Dubuque, Iowa. 1S60-61. 
John E. Smith, then a jeweler and Treasurer of Jo Daviess 
County, who later became a Major-General and one of the 
bravest Division Commanders of that Grand Old Army of the 
Tennessee, to which the rebel stronghold, Vicksburg, finally 
surrendered. 

Jasper A. Maltby, a gunsmith, who had seen service in 
Mexico, and who became a Brigadier in the war so soon to 
follow. 

All of those have answered the long roll, and are now 
bivouacked on the other shore. Each person here named 
-was my personal and intimate friend to the day of his death, 

6 



hence my knowledge of that which relates to each. Tliere 
remains one other to name, who also, from a private citizen 
rose to the rank of Major-General, who is still spared to us, 
and whom so many of you know. I refer to Gen. Augustus 
L. Chetlain, now of this city. 

Men of such probity, official and social standing in private 
life, and who rose to such high military rank in that great 
War of the Rebellion, were the associates of Captain Grant 
in Galena in 1860-61. 

.\^ked to accept the position of Orderly Sergeant of a 
company of "Wide Awakes" by a committee of the most 
influential citizens of Galena, the Captain quietly declined, 
saying: 

"Gentlemen, 1 tiiank you for your kind offer, and while 
I favor such organizations, believing them to be of benefit to 
the young men, I cannot accept the position. My reason for 
declining is that, having held a commission as Captain in the 
Army of the United States, I do not think it becoming in me 
now to serve a citizen body, though semi-military, as its 
Orderly Sergeant." 

This decision, however, did not deter the Captain from 
occasionally meeting with the boys and drilling the company 
in its facings and marchings, as his sympathies were with the 
Republicans and he desired the election of Mr. Lincoln. 

You all remember how your blood boiled as the electric 
wires flashed the news of the bombardment of Fort Sumter on 
that 12th day of April, 1861. when was fired that shot which 
"was heard around the world." followed on the loth by the 
proclamation of the immortal 1-iiuoln calling for 75,000 men 
to save this Union, and how you sprang to arms. A meeting 
was called in Galena, as meetings were called throughout the 
loyal States, to sustain the President and (Milist troops. Cap- 
tain Grant presided at that meeting, and tiie principal s]H>akers 
were Hon. K. B. Washburne, Republican .Member of Congress, 
•lolui A. Rawlins. Douglas Elector, and Hushrod B. Howard, 
Jireckenridge Postmaster, afterwards a Captain in the I'.Uh 
Illinois, who was killed in the service of his country. 

7 



I well remeniber going to that meeting with John A. 
Rawlins. William R. Rowley, John C. Spare and Jasper A. 
Maltb}^ and I never shall forget the answer John A. Rawlins 
made to some political associate as we entered the court house. 
This man had urged him not to go upstairs to the court room, 
saying: "John, you don't want to go up there and talk to 

that crowd; it is a Black Republican meeting." 

Turning to the speaker, his face aglow with the intense fire 
of patriotism, Rawlins replied: "I am going up to the court 
room, and I intend to make a speech. We are going to. have 
a great war, and in time of war there are no Democrats or 
Republicans; there can be but two parties now, one of patriots 
and the other of traitors." 

He did go into that meeting, and his soul-stirring speech 
did more than that of any other man toward filling the first 
company of volunteers which Galena sent to the war, and of 
which General Chetlain was the first Captain. 

Of Captain Grant's efforts to get into the service of his 
country, the tender of the same by letter to Col. L. Thomas, 
then Adjutant-General, U. S. A., which was never answered; 
his visit to Cincinnati to see General McClellan, who gave him 
no audience, and his return, discouraged, to Galena, I need not 
now speak, but of his going to Springfield and appointment 
by Gov. Richard Yates, our great War Governor, to the 
Colonelcy of the 21st Regiment, Illinois Infantry Volunteers, 
I may tell you. 

To our late comrade, Gen. John E. Smith, General Grant 
was indebted for the presentation of his name to Governor 
Yates, and his subsequent assignment to duty in the office of 
Adjutant-General Thomas Mather at Springfield, Illinois. 
Comrade Smith, then County Treasurer of .Jo Daviess County, 
afterwards Colonel of the 45th Regiment, Illinois Infantry 
Volunteers, and Major-General, U. S. A., was then on the staff 
of Gov. Richard Yates. He was called to Springfield to 
assist in the organization of the ninety-day troops, called for 
in the President's proclamation, and as he was leaving Galena, 
he met Captain Grant, who repeated to him what he had so 

8 



often said before: "I would like to secure a position in the 
service. The Government gave me a military education, and 
in the event of war I want to re-enter the army and serve my 
countrv. I would be pleased, if the opportunity presents 
itself, that you would say this to Governor Yates." Colonel 
Smith assured Captain Grant that he would, and they parted. 

Reaching Springfield, the Colonel was soon at work in the 
Adjutant-Generars office, assisting in the enrollment of troops 
then gathering at "Camp Dick Yates." A few days later 
Governor Yates came into the office in a bad humor. Every- 
thino; in camp was in confusion, the men lawless and insub- 
ordinate, and, upon the Governor being asked the cause of the 
trouble, he replied: 

"This trouble grows out of the effort to assign com])anies 
daily reporting for organization into what they call regiments, 
and there is no one in camp or anywhere else that I know who 
has any idea as to what a regiment is or how organized." 
Addressing Colonel Smith, Governor Yates asked: "Do you 
know anything about organizing a regiment?" The Colonel 
promptly answered: "No, Governor. I never saw a full 
regiment in my life." 

This was true of almost every man in civil life in 1861, 
and also true of many of the officers of the old army at that 
time. Our military establishment had been so small for forty 
or more years that, with the exception of the Mexican War, 
no regiment had been together at any post in our country. 

Again addressing the Colonel, Governor Yates asked : "Do 
you k'liow of anv one who does?" to which the Colonel promptly 
answered: "Yes, Governor, I do; Captain Grant, who lives 
in Galena, is a graduate of West Point, was a Captain in the 
regular army, and saw service in Mexico, lie knows the 
organization Of a regiment, and has frequently told me that in 
the event of a war he would like to re-enter the service, as it 
was his duty to serve the Govermnent which had given liim 
a military ('ducal ion. He als.. requested me, as I was leaving 
home, to say so to you, if the opportunity presented itself, and 
I am glad you have asked me this ciuestion." 

9 



This conversation resulted in Governor Yates directing 
Colonel Smith to write to Captain Grant, and request that he 
come immediately to Springfield. Grant did so, going there 
with Captain Chetlain's company from Galena. It was dur- 
ing the time that Captain Grant was assisting Adjutant-General 
Mather thtit (Governor Yates received urgent requests for 
troops to be sent to Missouri, which, for lack of transportation, 
he was unable to do. One day. in consultation with Jesse K. 
Dubois, a man of sterling worth and Auditor of Public Accounts 
of Illinois, the (iovernor spoke of the urgent need of troops in 
Missouri and the dithculty in obtaining transportation, con- 
cluding l)y asking the advice of "Uncle" Jesse. 

Tlu^ Auditor made several suggestions, excellent, but of 
no avail, when he finally said: "Governor, there is a Cap- 
tain Grant in General Mather's office who has been a soldier 
and I like his style. 1 would suggest that you send for him 
and ask his advice." 

To this the Governor agreed. Captain Grant was sent 
for, the situation explained to him, and he was asked what 
was best to be done. The Captain reflected a moment, and 
then quietly said: 

"The situation is perplexing, Governor, but if I was com- 
manding one of those regiments, I would take it to Missouri." 
"How?" asked the Governor, laying before the Captain several 
telegrams from the Illinois Central and Chicago & Alton rail- 
road companies, in which they assured t^je Governor of their 
inability to furnish any more trains for want of cars or engines. 
"How, in the face of those dispatches, could you take a regi- 
ment to Missouri?" Captain Grant was again asked. 

"1 would march it there," replied that quiet, unassuming 
man. 

Such an idea as soldiers marching through the State of 
Illinois to Missouri, or to any other State, had never been 
thought of by Governor Yates, or any one else, at that time, as 
all troops had been moved by rail into the 13order States, but 
it caused the Governor to reflect. 

Captain (Iraut and Colonel Smith returned home for a brief 

10 



CHICAGO 

HISTORICAL 

SOCIEH'Y 



time, the oiio soon to bo sunnnoiuMl to i\ccopt tlio ("olonelcv of 
the 21st Regiment, llHnois Volunteer Infantry, and the other 
to follow with the 45th. known as the "Washburne Lead Mine" 
Regiment. 

Colonel Grant did march his regiment to the Illinois River, 
where he was halted to meet a steamer, but the steamer fail- 
ing to arrive, the regiment was then taken across the State by 
rail, to ^Missouri, wliere it did duty for a time on the Hannibal 
& St. Joe railroad. 

To you, my old conii-ades, who followed the great Comma nder 
from his first battle at Belmont, Missouri, November 7, 1861, 
to Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga and through 
the Wilderness, to his crowning victorj' at Appomattox Court 
House, Virginia. April 9, 1865, it is unnecessary to rehearse his 
battles, for you were a part of them. You know that no Com- 
mander ever more readily assumed to himself the blame for 
any failur(> of his plans, or more cheerfully accorded to his 
soldiers all tlie honor for his success than did Gen. Ulysses S. 
Grant. 

Devoted to his army, and with the most implicit confidence 
in the rank and file, that silent man kept his own counsel, and 
steadily pursued the enemy until, by the sujierior intelligence 
of you men. your bravery and skill in arms, victory crowned 
his efforts, the enemy was defeated anil our Union preserved. 

^ (111 all remember how. after Grant's glorious victory at 
Donelson, the General was relieved from duty, but you niay 
not know the reason. Grant was commanding an army 
operating west of the Cumberland River, and Huell one on the 
east. Their departiumt lines wcic not established when Fort 
Donelson surreiidcrccj. uikI \asli\ill(> was exposed, (irant 
ordered troops to occuiiy that city and proceeded there him- 
self, lie tims. uid<n(»wingly. entered teiritniy claimed by 
Buell. upon \vhos(> complaint to llalleeU. and llallecU's to 
General .McClellan. then conunanding all the armies of the 
I'nited States, the arrest of (ieneral (Irani was authorized and 
he was relieved of his eommand, which he only re<:;un(Ml at 
Pittsburg Landinti tlinuigh the illness of Gen. C. I". Smith. 

11 



Had Grant then been in command of both armies and not bound 
by undefined lines, he would have marched his victorious army 
to Nashville, thrown detached commands to Chattanooga, 
Knoxville, Atlanta and Memphis — for there was no organized 
force in his front — there established rallying points for the Union 
men of those States, and recruited at least one-fourth of the 
men afterwards, driven by force of pul)lic sentiment or con- 
scription into the rel)el army. 

To keep-Grant, after Donelson fell, from occupying Nash- 
ville was as absurd as to have said to St. Peter, who holds the 
keys to the gates of Heaven: "Thou shalt not enter therein." 
B\it sucii was McClellan's decision and Grant, like the true 
soldier he was, ([uietly acquiesced. 

Silent as was our great Commander when the conversation 
was light and of no interest, he was the most terse yet fluent 
conversationalist 1 ever knew when interested. Walking 
with General Grant from my own home in Galena to his 
residence on the east side of the river, soon after his return from 
that famous tour around the world, in the short space of 
fifteen or twenty mimites he related to me all the salient points 
of interest in that triumphal journey through other lands, which 
served me well in my own tour around the globe a few years 
later. Seated one day in the Cabinet-room at the White House 
with our (»1(1 CommandcM- when President, he tletained me 
several hours to incjuire about Galena and old friends. After 
telling of the many who had removed and the friends who 
had died, the President said: "Why. General Smith, if tliese 
changes contimie, Galena, I fear, will soon lose its identity and 
become like the barrel belonging to a family in Vermont that 
Senator Luke Poland likes to tell about. Apples were ripe 
and the season for hard cider was on, when a liarrel was l)rought 
out to see if it was still soimd enough to be filled with cider, 
and which it was claimed had been in the Whitcoml) family 
from the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers. The older members of 
the family cherished the barrel while the younger cared noth- 
ing for it, and a new stave being necessary, a council was called 
to ascertain how mucli of the original remained. ( )ne old 

12 



■uncle told ,.f ;i now stave liere aii.l there, a ^rraiMliuotlier of now 
hoops, while a venerable ffrcat-ffrandfathor told of now heads, 
and so it went on until suniminn: up the evideneo it was decided 
that all which remained of the Mayflower barrel was the bung 
hole.'" and the President smiled as he told me thestory. I was 
amused and quietly remarked: "Mr. Trrsident. should I ever 
wish to leave Calena. and .lesire a I'ederal appointment 
•elsewhere. I trust you will not think ( iaiena has rea<-hed the 
condition of Senator IV.l.Miid's barrel and I be all that remains 
of it." 

The President had a hearty laufrh over the story and my 
sujiiiostion. That my recpiest would have been •granted I 
have evidence in the fact that on the President being informed 
at a later day. by Mr. I.. 8. Felt of Galena, of my illne.ss, and 
suiiirestinu- that a territorial appointment to a warmer climate 
niiirht benefit me. my name was sent to the I'nited States Senate 
and I was confirmed the same day. March 20, 1S74. as Register of 
a new land olhco at La Mesilla. Xew Mexico. The Hrst informa- 
tion I had of this appointment was an order from Willis Drum 
mond. ("oniniissioner. to file a bond of $10,000 and proceed to 
that far distant post and a.ssume the duties of the office. 

As I had not souirht the office. I thanked the i'resident for 
his remcMubrance of me and declined. sayin«r: "Though in ill 
health, should 1 acce|)t. it was possible I mi-zht gain strength 
on the 'uuitton and garlic' of the Rio Cran.h^ Valley, but it 
was doubtful if 1 was young enough to live until civilization 
reached me and the Territory became .-i St.ite." The latter 
ol)jection seems to hold good to this day. Having tleclined 
this appointment the Presi(hMit soon after olT.Ted me a special 
nii.ssion to Mexico, but not wishing to le;ive Illinois this was 
also declined. 

It was at this same sitting in the ( ".Mbinet-room that I 
soon discovered the President w.-is holding me to freeze out the 
many importuning him for office, and 1 was forcibly reminded 
of his memory of pers.ms and appoint nirnts. .\ .Mend)er of 
Congress from \irginia <-ame in and charging the President with 
appointment of "car|.et-l>aggers" to the leder.il offioes in his 

1.1 



district, (IciiKiiulcd ilicir removal and other appoiutments. 
To this the President replietl, naming the Federal Judges, 
Collector of Port, Collector of Internal Revenue, Naval Officer, 
U. 8. Marshal and others, saying: "If you will tell me which 
one of these officers is not a native \iri;iiiian. or has not resided 
in tiie State long enough to ))e accepted as one, I will find a 
l)lace for those you reconnnend." The M. C. was silent and 
the interview ended. 

Silent as the S))hin\. wiien necessary, and modest as a 
maiden, our Old C'onnnander was communicative when occa- 
sion required. He was jiossessed of a cpiiet humor and could 
severelv rebuke for an improper remark. Msiting a gentle- 
man s estate when in (ireat Britain, he was invited out on the 
links to witness a game of golf. Induced to enter the game 
and being given a club by the caddy, the General looked 
earnestly at the ball, then at his club, and having measured 
the distance carefully made a strike, his club going six inches 
above the ball. Disappointed at this failure, a more careful 
estimate was made of length of club and distance to ball and 
another swing was made, the club striking the ground one foot 
before reaching the l)all. Williout change of countenance, 
the (Jeneral made several other elTorts to hit the ball, but 
without success. Returning the club to the caddy. General 
Grant remarked to the gentleman beside him. "I have always 
understood the game of golf was good outdoor exercise and 
especially for the arms. 1 fail, however, to see what use there 
is for a ball in the gain(\" 

Of his modesty, General Rawlins told me of the staff lieing 
seated one evening around a bivouac fire engaged in talking 
of the events of the day. witli imw and then a story to enliven 
the spirits, for the fighting had been heavy. An officer visiting 
the staff started to tell a story, when, catching the General's 
eye, which seemed to warn him from being too free, he looked 
around as if to find some one, and not seeing anyone lightly 
remarked, "There are no ladies present." "No," quietly re- 
marked General (irant, "l)ut there are (jenllemen present." 
No further r('l)uk(' was necessary. 

14 



Goiiifr to Wasliiii<z;t()ii. in tlio interest of Mr. Hiiiititif^'ton, 
the Postmaster of (iaI(Mi:i. on th(^ re-eI(>ction of President (Jrant, 
I accompanied Mr. liurcliard. the .Mcuil.er from that district,' 
and the Illinois d(>lefration. to the White House to ur^'e his 
reappointment, tliey fearino; if a <-han,ire was ma<le in this 
case there would \h- n\hrrs in ihcii- own ilistricts. After all 
had recommeiKh^d and ur<,retl. the President (|iiietiy replied: 
"Gentlemen, the people believe that I make all the.se appoint- 
ments and hold inc res|)()iisil)le for tli(> conduct of these olFieers, 
while, in fact, you <!;entl(>meii make them. 1 think it hard if 
I cannot have the appointment of the Postnuister of my own 
city. It is my intention to appoint Mr. Iloufjhton." and he did. 

(ieneral Grant was upright in all his dealings and a lover 
of justice to all luen. llavinir the courage of his convictions 
he dared to "change front '" ami reverse his rulings and opinion.s 
on subsequent evidence being presented. .A most notable 
instance of this kind was in the Gen. Fitz .John Porterca.se, 
when- he believed from the evidence given before the military 
conuni.ssion that (ieneral Porter was guilty of disobedi(>nce of 
orders at Groveton. In this case General (Jrant had. when 
President, refused Porter a rehearing and yen. after his term 
expired recommended the rehearing to his succt'ssor. anil to 
no one more than General Grant was Fitz John Porter indebted 
for his restoration to th(> army. .Meeting GeiuMal Crant on 
liroadway. near Wall Str(>et. New ^'ork City, shortly after the 
GeneraPs recommendation, my wife and myself were invit«>«l 
to his office near l>y. We accc|.icd and 1 there h.'nl a lorn: talk 
with the General on the I'itz .John Porter case, he ably present- 
ing his views, to which 1 replied: "Getieral. I oidy recall my 
feelings at the tiinr of ilic batth' of Croveton ami the linding 
of the court martial. 1 then thought him guilty. 1 think so 
^t>". though 1 have re.ad ''riie .\rmy under Pope.' by .lohn (\ 
P"I>e." Taking up a book from his desk an<l handing it to 
me. General Crant said: ••!. too. have iieen reading the 
same book and here is a copy. Mr. Hope began his investi- 
gation of this subject, believing ( iener.il Porti-r ginllv of dis- 
obedience of Genend Pojie'vaml M(d)owelPs order-^, ;ind ended 



satisfied that Porter was right or justified in his disobedience 
and that he should be restored to the army." To this I said: 
"Cieneral Grant, I would not assume to put my judgment 
against yours, but I will say this: Gen. Fitz John Porter was 
informed that his line of march led him to the enemy's right 
flank, and he was ordered to attack on that flank, and if possible 
the enemy's rear. Porter learned from his advanced post that 
T.ongstreet's conunand was i)assing Thoroughfare Gap, closing 
U])<)n Stonewall .Jackson, and still he did not attack. I want 
to ask you if that be true, if it was not doubly imperative 
upon General Porter to attack the enemy?" To this (ieneral 
Grant replied: "General Smith, I do not understand the 
situation as you do." Then I said: "General, T would have 
been very sorry to have conunanded a division under the same 
circumstances with orders from you to fight and not have 
obeyed the order." To which Grant smiled, and I then said: 
''General, I see we cannot agree; I bow to your superior judg- 
ment and will say this, on which I think we can agree. General 
Porter and some other officers of the Army of the Potomac 
were not loyal to their conmiander, Gen. John Pope." To 
this General Grant assented with a firm " Yes. We will 
agree that he was not loyal to his conunander. " And there the 
subject ended. Meeting General Pope subsequent to this 
and telling him of my conversation with (ieneral Grant, which 
pleased him very much, he asked me if I would not write him 
a letter giving the subject as I rchitod. which 1 tlid and he 
thanked me for it. 

For (piiet, terse and unanswerable responses to questions 
and subjects presented to him, General Grant was imexcelled. 
There was nothing more to be said after the General spoke. 
Witness the following: During the President's advocacy of 
the Santo Domingo Annexation in 1871, when the feeling for 
and against the measure was intense in the L'nited States 
Senate, a member of that body discussing the question with the 
President expressed his surprise that one whom it was thought 
should be in favor of the treaty was violently and unfairly 
opposing it, and regretting as he did this action he was more 

16 



than surprised and pained to learn that the member spoken of 
was an infidel and did not believe in the Bible. "Are you not 
surprised to learn this?" asked his visitor. "No," replied the 
President. "Why, Mr. President?" asked the Senator. "Be- 
cause he didn't write it." quietly answered (irant. 

When being asked if hc^ did not think he had made a mistake 
in forcing his campaign to Kiclimond. through the Wilderness, 
and that he should have taken McClellan's plan and gone up 
the James River to Riclnnond, our ( )ld Commander said: 
"Perhaps I should. I have often thought of the subject and 
it may be I ought to have taken the James River, but after all 
.conclude that 1 was right, as I got Richmond and McCIcIImh 
didn't." And there the subject ended. Such was the tiuiet, 
inoffensive and yet conclusive answer to all such questions put 
to the General, man\- mon> of wliicii might l)e related, but time 
will not permit and 1 fear your jxitience has already been over- 
taxed. A few more mimites and I am done. 

When (irant Ix'camo President in 1S()!). anil there was a 
vacancy in the head of the army, we all looked for the pro- 
motion of Sherman from Lieutenant-General to General : but 
who was to be made Lieutenant-Cieneral was the question with 
the old soldiers. 

Grant and Sherman having come from the .\rmy of the 
Tennessee, the position was conceded to the Potomac or 
Cumberland armies. The soldiers of the Potomac named 
Gen. George G. Meade, while those of the Cumberland jiresented 
Gen. George H. Thomas, " the Rock of Chickan\anga."' .bulge 
of the surprise of all when the President named (ien. Philip H. 
Sheridan. Upon being asked why he did so, the I'lesident 
replied : 

"T would like to have appointed General .Meade because 
he had earned it. 1 would lik(> to have appointed General 
Thomas because he (leser\t'd it, l»ut thcic was but one l.ieutcn- 
ant-General to commission and there was l)Ut one Sheridan." 

General Grant had a high opiiuon of the military skill of 

Shci'idan and an artcctiim for him uhicli was warmly rctuiMicd. 

■ and yet each had -u<'h a scnst- ot" j\isticc as wonM not pi'rmit ;i 

17 



wrong to be clone another though it were their own gain. 
Grant had recommended Generals Meade and Sheridan for 
promotion to rank of Major-General of the regular army— 
Meade for his splendid handling of the Army of the Potomac, 
on the march and in battle, and Sheridan for his glorious 
victories in the Shenandoah. Under the great pressure of 
those strenuous days the President was unable for some time to 
take up (Grant's recommendations, and when he did Sheridan 
was appointed a Major-Cleneral, U. S. A., November 14, 1864, 
to rank as such from November 8, 1864, and General Grant was 
so informed. This was a surprise to the Lieutenant-General, 
as he had intended to have Meade rank Sheridan. "Little, 
Phil" was sent for. the wishes of Grant made known, and the 
situation explained. Meade ranked Sheridan as a Brigadier 
more than one year, was the able commander of the largest 
army in the field, and General Grant could not permit an act 
of such injustice to l)e done him though it were for one so 
deserving as Sheridan. 

Our gallant "Little Phil" with an etpud desire to do right 
and have justice done a conn-ade, magnanimously said: "Gen- 
eral Grant, say nothing of this to General Meade. I will waive 
rank and serve under him until you can have this matter 
righted." 

General Grant atlvised President Lincoln of the situation 
and again made his recommendation, which resulted in the 
appointment, November 26, 1864, of (leorge G. Meade as a 
Major-Cieneral, U. S. A., to rank from August 18, 1864. Can you 
conceive a more unselfish or honorable act than that of Grant 
and Sheridan, and do you wonder that when a new promotion 
was open in which seniority was not a factor that Sheridan was 

selected? 

The United States Senate afterwards confirmed these ranks 
and of the dates named: General Sheridan's, January 13, 1865, 
to rank from November 8, 1864, and General Meade's, February 
1, 1865, to rank from August 18, 1864. 

That our Old Commander, whose honored name this Grand 
Army Post bears, loved his country is attested by his services 

18 



in behalf of the Union and universal freedom. That he loved 
its starry flag under which he had fought upon a hundred and 
more battle-fields in the war with Mexico, and the great Rebel- 
lion, is illustrated in the following incident. In the political 
campaign of 1868, 1 was in command of the Republican organ- 
ization of "Tanners" in Galena, and having purchased a 
forty-foot garrison flag had it swung from my office across 
Main Street, with a piece of muslin a yard or more wide sewed 
to the lower end, ujion which was painted "Grant and Colfax." 
I was pleased with it. General Grant was at home, and walk- 
ing up the street with him one bright da}' I called his attention 
to the flag, eulogizing its beautiful stripes and bright stars, 
when, halting and pointing to our starry banner, General 
Grant said: "General Smith, I wish 3'ou would have that 
flag taken down, or those names taken off; there is no name so 
great that it should be placed upon the flag of our country." 

The strip of muslin l)earing the honored names of Grant 
and Colfax was taken off, the flag again tlirown to the breeze 
unmarked and in all its pristine beauty. 

Who of you. my comrades, ])ut remembers the long and 
painful illness of our Old Conuuander and his soldierly resigna- 
tion as death ai)proached. 

The Christian world })ray(Ml that he be spared yet awhile 
and all tlie i^eoj^le of the earth mourned his departure. Not- 
withstanding his great suffering, his thoughts were of his 
country; of you, my comrades, and of the van(|uished whom 
through your valor he had concjuered; of his family antl the 
dear daughter so far away. The anxiety of mir Chieftain 
to see his loved Nellie is beautifully portrayed in sweet verse 
by our own poet, luigene Field. 

God spared his life to see the dear daughter once more, 
she returning just ]irevious to July 23, ISS"), when his spirit 
winged its (liglit (o tiiat 1ki\(Mi wlu're wars shall be known no 
more. 

The poem is entitled: 



19 



GRANT. 

His listening soul hears no echo of battle, 

No paeon of triuiaph nor welcome of fame, 
But down through the years comes a little one's prattle. 

And softly he murmurs her idolized name; 
And it seems as if now at his heart she were clinging 

As she clung, in those dear distant years, to his knee; 
He sees her fair face and he hears her sweet singing — 

And Nellie is coming from over the sea. 

While patriot hope stays the fullness of sorrow, 

While our eyes are bedimmed and our voices are low. 
He dreams of the daughter who comes with the morrow 

Like an angel come back from the dear long ago. 
Ah! What to him now is a nation's emotion — 

And what for our love or our grief careth he, 
A swift-speeding ship is asail on the ocean, 

And Nellie is coming from over the sea. 



20 



ULYSSES S. GRANT POST. No. 28, G. A. R. 



Tlie t'oivii-oiug address was delivered in the Post Rooin, 
Memorial Hall, at the reception given to Gen. Frederick Dent 
Grant, the eldest son of the ''Old Commander," after whom 
the Post was named. There were six hundred and more guests 
present to enjoy the occasion. The press had the following 
and many other kind notices of the reception of General Grant, 
who has recently been assigned to command- this division of the 
Army of the United States: 

GENERAL GRANT IS HONORED 

Reception Tendered Him in Memorial Hall by 
(;. A. R. Post 

Cieii. Freder'.ck Dent Grant, conimanding the Department 
of tiie Lakes, was tendered a reception last evening at Memorial 
Hall by the Ulysses S. Grant Post, No. 28, Department of 
Illinois, Grand Army of the Republic. 

Those who received the long line of persons attending 
the reception were: 

Past Commander of i'ost ^^■. L. Sniitli. Rev. Thomas E. 
Sherman, Gen. Fred D. Grant, Gen. .lohn C. Smith. Mmes. 
Fred D. Grant and John C. Smith. 

St. Peter's Episcopal Chui-cli ("lioii- of tift\- voices furnished 
the music of the e\-ening. niidei- llic diicction of I'rof. Kilner 
Fox Thomas. 

"Personal Recollections of GtMieral Llysses S. Grant" 
was the subject of an address by Gen. .lohn C. Smiili, Com- 
mander of the Post, after which (Icncral Smiili incxMitcd Gen. 

21 




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